1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus provided with a heater which dries ink that is recorded on a recording medium.
2. Related Art
Recording apparatuses provided with a heater which dries ink that is recorded on a recording medium are used in the related art. Among the recording apparatuses, in regard to an ink jet recording apparatus, which performs recording by discharging ink onto a recording medium, a recording apparatus is generally used which is provided with a heater which dries a portion, on which the ink is recorded, of a recording medium without making contact therewith in order to dry the ink recorded on the recording medium. This is because, when using a heater, which makes contact with and dries the portion on which the ink is recorded, the image quality of the recorded portion decreases due to the contact between the recorded portion and the heater.
For example, JP-A-2010-280828 discloses a recording apparatus which is capable of drying the ink of a recording medium on which recording is performed by warming the recording medium by heating the recording medium using a heater from the side of a platen, which is a medium supporting portion.
In addition, a recording apparatus provided with a transport belt as the medium supporting portion in the transport mechanism of the recording medium is used. In addition to a recording apparatus provided with a transport belt in a recording region opposing the recording head as the transport mechanism, as disclosed in JP-A-2003-205658, a recording apparatus provided with a transport belt on the downstream side of the recording region in the transport direction of the recording medium as the transport mechanism, as disclosed in JP-A-2011-16240, is also used.
Here, in the recording apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2003-205658, the transport belt is provided with a multitude of needle-shaped protrusions, which secure the recording medium so that the recording medium does not shift. In addition, in the recording apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2003-205658, a medium supporting portion is not provided in a region of the recording medium that opposes the drying unit.
However, in a recording apparatus of the related art that is provided with a heater which dries a portion on which the ink is recorded without making contact, such as the one disclosed in JP-A-2010-280828, there is a case in which the vapor which evaporates from the ink due to the heater condenses on the medium supporting portion and the recording medium is wetted. In particular, in a recording apparatus provided with a heater which dries the ink recorded on the recording medium from a side which opposes the medium supporting portion, there are many cases in which the recording medium is wetted due to the vapor condensing on the medium supporting portion.
Meanwhile, in a recording apparatus with a configuration in which a medium supporting portion is not provided in a region of the recording medium that opposes the drying unit, such as the one disclosed in JP-A-2003-205658, the distance between the recording medium and the drying unit changes with the transportation of the recording medium due to the recording medium not being well supported in the opposing region. Therefore, there is a case in which inconsistencies occur in the drying of the ink, which is recorded on the recording medium, by the drying unit.
In addition, in JP-A-2011-16240, there is no description relating to a heater which dries the portion on which the ink is recorded without making contact, and the problem described above is not recognized.
In other words, in a recording apparatus of the related art, in a recording apparatus provided with a heater which dries the ink, which is recorded on the recording medium by discharging the ink onto the recording medium, at a portion on which the ink is recorded without making contact, there is a case in which the suppression of drying inconsistencies by the heater is not sufficient, and in which the suppression of condensing of vapor, which evaporates from the ink due to the heater, and suppression of adhering of the condensed vapor to the recording medium is not sufficient.